Evil Suits You
by Dawnbuneary
Summary: Who's the evil triplet? Louie. A part of him knows that was just a joke. But he can't stop thinking about it. He knows he's not really evil. He knows he's not really a villain at all. But when Louie is suddenly kidnapped by someone, they decide to put some truth to those claims. It's not like Louie had a choice. Slight Louie/Webby in this but it's mostly platonic. Evil!Louie AU.
1. Not a Hero

Louie Duck wasn't the most adventurous guy. In fact, he was quite the opposite. While he did enjoy adventures, he loved lazing around more. Huey, Dewey, Webby, and Scrooge were always so eager for mystery and action, while the green triplet wasn't as enthusiastic. Louie felt like the odd one out sometimes, with his lazy personality. But hey, it can't be helped. This was how things were and he was fine with it.

Louie was where he was on every Tuesday; on the couch, drinking some soda.

The show he was watching on the TV was pretty dumb, but he couldn't be bothered changing it. The show was about a hero. A hero who was perfect in every way. They were kind, they were noble, they were honest, they were brave, they were intelligent and they were strong. Louie honestly thought that this was a bad choice. The hero was a little TOO perfect. It wasn't realistic.

Then again, it is just a show.

Louie couldn't help but notice that this "perfect hero" was the complete opposite of him.

Kind? Louie liked to think that he could be kind sometimes, but…he always feels like a …a jerk sometimes. Like that time when he didn't want to bring Webby to Funso's. Or that time he kept putting Uncle Donald down in front of Uncle Gladstone. That wasn't kind.

Noble? Noble…was Louie noble? He'd…he'd like to be. However, he's known as the Evil Triplet by his family. Sure, it's just a funny title, but if he were nobler, then he probably wouldn't have gotten that title in the first place, right..?

Honest? Please, Louie KNOWS that he's a compulsive liar. It's something that he hates and likes at the same time. On one hand, lying can get him out of bad situations. On the other, it could also get him into trouble. Honest wasn't something he'd associate with himself.

Brave? Louie frowned. Sure, he was brave enough to go on the adventures, but once he's there, he's a total coward. It seems like something is always trying to kill him, so how could he not be?! Still…he's less brave than everyone else, he thinks. He's not like Dewey. It sucks…but he can't really help it, can he?

Intelligent? Louie liked to think he was clever and cunning, but when it came to book smarts…he was alright? He wasn't outstanding like Huey or something, but he wasn't stupid…and he wasn't as great at puzzle solving as Webby, but that was okay…

Strong? Was Louie strong mentally or physically? Neither, he'd say. He's not super strong physically. There, he's pretty average. But mentally? He doesn't know. He's…sensitive, even if he doesn't show it most of the time. Maybe that's why this whole thing bothers him so much.

Wow. He really was the opposite of the perfect hero.

He was perfectly imperfect. That seemed about right. He was always kind of aware, to be honest. Still…he hates it.

He tells himself that it's fine, but something keeps on nagging him.

Whatever, he should just forget it. There's no use beating himself up over it.

"Louie, are you okay?"

Louie snapped out of his thoughts as he saw Webby standing next to the couch. He pushed all of his thoughts down and gave a lazy smile.

"Yeah. Why wouldn't I be?"

"Well, you looked kind of…sad…?" She says uncertainly, taking a seat next to him. "You sure you're okay?"

Sad? Oh.

"Ah, it's nothing. I was just thinking about random stuff," Louie said, nonchalantly. Webby frowned.

"You're lying, right?" she asked, although she sounded certain.

"No." Yes. He meant yes.

Webby looked at the TV screen. The hero on the screen was saving a bus full of kids from driving off a cliff. They kind of sat in silence for a bit before Webby spoke again.

"I always did think that this show was kind of dumb."

"Hm?" Louie wondered what brought that up. He looked at Webby and the TV several times before getting the hint. "If you think that this is the reason I'm upset, you're wrong."

"So you admit you ARE upset."

…

Wow…he was worse at this than he thought. Great, he can't even lie properly. Or maybe Webby's known him long enough to see through his words. Or maybe he's just doing a really poor job of hiding it today. Whatever.

Louie sighed and didn't respond. He looked at the TV screen again, watching the hero getting praise for saving the day, like how all the episodes of this show end. Another pause before Louie spoke up again.

"Webby?"

"Yeah?"

"…Am I the worst triplet?"

Webby turned to look at him with wide eyes. She was shocked, he saw. Louie waited for her to process the question, which seemed to be taking a while…

"Worst triplet?" Webby repeated, looking dumbfounded. "What do you-?"

"It's nothing. Just a thought…" he mumbles, already knowing the answer. He just wanted to know Webby's opinion. "Compared to Huey and Dewey, I mean…"

Webby frowned. "You're not making any sense, Louie."

Louie sighed. Webby wouldn't answer that question. She's too nice. She's not the type to go "Yup! You're terrible, Louie!"

"I just wanted to know if I was the worst one-"

"Louie, there is no "worst triplet" with you guys!" Webby answered, sort of angrily. "Not you. Not Huey. Not Dewey."

Louie knew that she wouldn't answer with yes. He shrugged. "If you say so."

 **SMACK!**

"Ow! Webby, what the heck?!"

Webby had slapped him across the face, and while she didn't do it too hard, it still hurt. She had an angry look on her face as she didn't look sorry at all.

"You need to stop berating yourself right now, young man!" Webby says, puffing her cheeks in frustration. "You know what? We're going out and getting milkshakes to cheer you up!"

She looked more determined than comforting, but it was still her kind of comforting.

"I don't know…" Louie replies. He was feeling pretty good on this couch right now and getting up is such a pain.

"Nope! Too bad, we're going!" Webby says, picking him up and throwing him over her shoulder like a potato sack. Louie groaned as he hung over her shoulder.

With Louie, Webby set off to the long halls of the mansion. As she passed the triplets' bedroom she started yelling.

"HUEY, DEWEY, DROP WHATEVER YOU'RE DOING, WE'RE GOING OUT!"

Louie wondered if Huey and Dewey would even want to go out. He was pretty indifferent because he has nothing better to do, but they were probably busy with stuff.

Of course, Webby doesn't care.

"What?" Huey says, coming out of the bedroom. "Webby, why are you yelling?"

"We're getting milkshakes, come on!"

"Ooh, milkshakes?" Dewey said, walking out of the bedroom as well, sounding intrigued. "Why?"

"Because Louie needs to cheer up," Webby replies, indicating the boy who was hung over her shoulder. Louie groaned.

"No, I don't," he argued, half-heartedly. He honestly didn't care anymore. He was too tired.

"Yes, you do. Now, are you guys coming or what?" Webby asked Huey and Dewey.

"Of course!" Dewey answered, walking behind Webby to face Louie. Louie pouted as Dewey patted his head. "Will milkshakes cheer you up, buddy?"

"Meh."

Huey looked unsure. "I dunno…I promised Uncle Donald that I would spend some time with him an hour from now..."

"Come ooooon, Hue!" Dewey says, trying to convince his brother. "Our baby brother is sad! He's in need of love, support, and milkshakes!"

Louie's going to let that "baby brother" part slide for now.

"Well, I suppose, as long as we're not out too long," Huey reluctantly agreed. Dewey and Webby cheered as Louie smiled slightly. The things these people did to cheer him up…

"Come on!" Webby said happily, leading the way.

"Uh...are you gonna put me down?" Louie asked as they set off with Dewey and Huey following. He was still being carried by Webby and he was wondering how long it would be before she dropped him.

"Do you want me to?"

Actually, walking would be a pain.

"…Nope, I'm good!"

* * *

 **Hi! I know this was a story that some of you guys were waiting for, so here it is! The start of my Evil!Louie AU!**

 **Now, I know much hasn't happened yet, but just wait, I'm leading towards it..! For now, I hope this is enough. You guys will just have to wait and see what happens!**

 **If you don't know what this AU is, basically, I created an AU where Louie turns evil against his will. He becomes...possessed by someone, I suppose you could say...**

 **post/167358102788/duckvember-day-8-villain-duck-whats-gotten**

 **You'll just have to wait and see~!**


	2. Love, Support, and Milkshakes

Once Huey, Dewey, Louie, and Webby had reached the place, Milo's Milkshakes, they walked in. Webby put Louie down as they approached the counter.

"Ah, the McDuck ducklings!" The employee at the counter greeted. He recognized them instantly, as they have become regulars here. "What will it be today?"

"Four Mint-White Chocolate shakes please!" Webby asked, immediately, dropping some money on the counter.

Louie's favorite flavor.

Webby really was trying hard to cheer him up. Even more than usual for some reason. He thinks it's because she's really concerned about the fact that he keeps having these berating thoughts recently. Huey and Dewey have no idea about it. They know he feels down sometimes, but they never know why.

He's not totally sure why as well, sometimes. It just…happens.

While Louie was lost in thought, the milkshakes were already on the counter.

"Thanks!" Dewey thanked, grabbing all four. "Let's go!"

The four ducks waddled over to their usual table and sat down. Dewey handed out everyone's milkshakes and then eagerly started drinking his own.

"So, Louie…" Huey started, fiddling with the straw of his drink. "Are…you feeling okay?"

He's approaching the topic slowly and hesitantly, Louie noticed. Perhaps afraid of saying something wrong. Louie appreciates that, but he really doesn't want to talk about it.

"Yeah…I was just…brooding earlier, you know? It happens," Louie lies, shrugging as if it didn't matter. He even gave a false lazy smile.

Well…it wasn't a complete lie. He was brooding earlier, he guesses. And it does just happen out of nowhere. But the fact that he was cool with it…that was a lie.

He saw Webby frown in the corner of his eyes. He tried not to make eye contact with her for now.

"You sure?" Dewey asked, as soon as he stopped slurping his milkshake, which was already half-finished.

Louie nodded and took a sip of his milkshake. He noticed that Webby was being awfully quiet. He expected her to start blurting out to Huey and Dewey about why he was down. And then he'd have to explain. But no, she was keeping quiet for him.

He shoots her a look of gratitude before looking down at his drink.

"Well…okay. You know if you need to talk about something, you could always tell us," Huey offers, not completely convinced that Louie was alright. "You know we'll always be here for you."

"I'll keep that in mind," Louie replied, although he had no intention of telling them anything. He didn't want to worry them, you know? They had other stuff to think about.

Webby was still silent, but Louie could tell that she wanted to say something.

Huey looked at the wall clock nearby. "Oh, no. I've gotta go. I promised Uncle Donald-"

"Don't worry, Hue. Go ahead, we'll be back at the mansion later," Louie says, giving his brother a smile. Huey gave him a grateful smile as he left the shop.

Dewey, who had already finished his milkshake, took it upon himself to drink Huey's untouched one. "More for me, I guess."

"You know if you drink too much, you'll get sick," Louie said, chuckling as Dewey slurped the second milkshake.

Webby really wanted to get back on the subject of Louie, but the green triplet was subtly averting the topic even further away, she could tell.

"Actually, you know what? I bet you can't even drink the whole thing," Louie says coyly. Obviously, he knew that was he was saying would trigger Dewey's competitiveness…he was doing this on purpose. Webby just didn't know why. Maybe to divert the topic further.

"Is that a challenge?!" Dewey asked, loudly, looking ready for one. Louie smirked as Dewey slammed his hand on the table. "I ACCEPT!"

Webby wondered what the point of this was as Dewey started chugging the milkshake down as fast as he could. Louie chuckled and started chanting "CHUG! CHUG! CHUG! CHUG!"

It wasn't long before the whole glass was finished and Dewey's beak was covered in milk. He slammed the glass on the table.

"TOO EASY!" Dewey declared, looking victorious.

They heard a gurgling sound coming from a certain duck's stomach. Dewey's victorious smile was replaced with a look of surprise.

"Aaaaand now I think I'm gonna be sick," he says before dashing off to the restrooms. Louie laughed as he left.

Webby looked at him and frowned. "Can we talk now?"

Louie stopped laughing and sighed, still with a slight smile on his face. "Yeah."

Webby realized that Louie only challenged Dewey just so that they could talk in private. Clever boy…

"Louie, why didn't you tell Huey and Dewey why you were upset?"

"I dunno, I just…didn't want to worry them, I guess," Louie says, no longer smiling. He looked down at his drink and took a sip. "They have better stuff to think about, you know?"

"You heard what Huey said. They'd listen to you, you know?" Webby replied, frowning. "Have you told your Uncle Donald or Scrooge?"

"Nah. They have more important stuff to think about as well," Louie responds, shrugging. "Besides, talking about it would just mean that this is a real issue. And it's not. I'm just being stupid."

"You're not…!" Webby says, before pausing. "Actually, no. You are being stupid. For not telling anyone else about this!"

Louie snickered. She was making her frustrated face again.

Webby sighed. "I just wish you would stop thinking all these bad things about yourself…"

"Well, I mean…it's kinda impossible, right?" Louie said, chuckling. He was trying to laugh it off. "If you were me then you'd probably think these as well."

"But I'm not you," Webby replied, frowning. "So I don't see why you would keep insulting yourself like this."

"Come on, Webby. Even if you weren't me, you'd be able to see why," Louie said, smiling like he'd already accepted it. "I'm a mess."

"I _will_ slap you again."

"No, I'm serious!" Louie told her. "Try naming at least one positive trait of mine. That's right. You can't.

Webby scoffed. "Easy. You're cool, you're relaxed, you care about your family, you're a great friend...I could keep going all day, you know?!"

…

"Thanks," Louie replied, slightly embarrassed. Sure, he didn't really believe anything she said, but still. "But I feel like all my bad traits cancel out my good ones, you know?"

For once he was being honest. This has been bothering him for years.

"Louie, no one's perfect," Webby said, putting her hand on his shoulder reassuringly. "Not you, not me, not anyone."

Louie raised his eyebrows questioningly. Webby rolled her eyes and removed her hand from his shoulder.

"Louie, I'm not perfect and you know this. I can be a little…weird and crazy sometimes-"

"Yeah, but you make up for it by being…" Louie responded, trying to find the right word. "Sure you could be a little crazy, but at least you have traits that make up for it! I'm just a mess. Especially compared to Huey and Dewey."

"Louis Duck, stop comparing yourself to your brothers!" Webby exclaimed, frustrated. "You're all great, but you all are not perfect either! No one is!"

Louie smiled, slightly. Webby was trying really hard to cheer him up in her own way. He's glad that she's still his friend, even if he keeps giving her trouble.

"You're the best, Webbs."

Webby looked mildly surprised but also flattered. She calmed down.

"So…you're going to talk to someone else about all this, right?" Webby asked, looking at him again.

"If you really want me to…then I'll talk to Uncle Donald," Louie replies, sighing. He doesn't know why, but he really doesn't want to talk to Huey and Dewey about it.

Webby smiled in approval. As if on cue, Dewey came back.

"WHEW! That was something," he says, referring to his trip to the bathroom. He was oblivious to their conversation. "So what did I miss?"

"Ehhhhh…not much?" Webby lies in the most convincing voice she could muster.

Louie pushed his drink away and stretched. "Welp. I'm tired, let's go back home, huh?"

"Yeah! I've had enough milkshakes for today, haha!" Dewey laughed, heading towards the exit.

Louie smiled and followed his brother with Webby following afterward. Webby wanted Louie to fix his problem right away. He knew that she wouldn't let it go until he talked to his uncle.

Guess that's the first thing he needs to do when he gets back.

* * *

 **Hey, don't look at me like that. Louie angst is important to the story, okay?**

 **But I hope you are enjoying this so far. Yeah, the whole "Evil" plot hasn't happened yet, but you know...WAIT FOR IT ;w;**

 **Oh, and guys, let me know what you think of the characters so far. Are they in character? Out of character? I'm trying to write them as accurately as I can, so if they're acting way out of character, let me know!**

 **Thanks! Bye! :D**


	3. The Worst Sibling?

It was night time. Louie, Dewey, and Webby had gotten back to the mansion a few hours ago. Louie had put off talking to Uncle Donald for a few hours, but when Webby reminded him for the third time, he realized that he couldn't procrastinate anymore.

Louie walked to the mansion's backyard, where he saw the ruined houseboat floating in Scrooge's giant pool. It was dark outside, but he saw the lights on in the boat.

Louie waddled over to the boat and walked across the plank that led to the boat's deck. He knocked on the front door.

"Uncle Donald! Are you in there?"'

It took several knocks before the door opened, revealing Donald Duck.

"Louie?"

"Hey, Uncle Donald. Can I talk to you about something?" Louie asked, hesitantly. He wasn't used to this. Why did he listen to Webby?

"Of course..!" Donald said, standing aside to let him in. Louie could hear the surprise in his voice. Probably because Louie never went to him to talk about personal things.

Louie went to the boat's living room and sat down on the couch, followed by Donald. There was a silence before Donald decided to speak up.

"So…what did you want to talk about?" Donald asked. When he was spending time with Huey earlier, the red triplet had mentioned that Louie was feeling upset. Maybe Donald could fix this?

"U-um…I…I just…" Louie stuttered. Oh boy…how was he going to start this?

Louie took a deep breath and sighed. "I…was just thinking…sometimes I feel like a mess. Sometimes I feel like a screw-up, you know? I…feel like the worst triplet and-"

"WHO MADE YOU THINK THAT?!" Donald quacked angrily, ready to fight whoever hurt his nephew. Louie jumped slightly.

"I-I did?"

Donald fell silent, so Louie decided to keep going.

"And I tried to ignore it. I really did, but…it keeps bothering me. I usually wouldn't want to talk about it, but Webby told me to tell someone and, I don't know, I just felt like telling you…" he rambled. God, this was going downhill. He didn't know how to say what he wanted to, but that's the best he could muster.

"Louie…" Donald said quietly. He sighed. "I…know how you feel. I know what it's like to feel like a mess and I know what it's like to feel like the worst sibling…"

Louie looked at his uncle. He didn't expect that kind of response. "Did…Mom make you feel like you were the worst twin..?"

"Well, not exactly. She never tried to make me feel like that. Your mother was a great person. She was fun, outgoing, adventurous, smart…" Donald replied. It hurt…talking about Della again. But Louie needed to hear this. "But that's why I felt the way I did. I kept comparing myself to her."

"Were you jealous..?"

Donald paused a bit before continuing. "I…was a little jealous, yeah. That's just how I am. Your mother was nearly perfect, how could I not be?"

Donald chuckled a bit before he kept going. "But I never felt bitter or angry towards her. And she never tried to make me feel bad at all. She was just…being her."

Louie looked down as he thought about this. It was scary how Donald was able to pinpoint exactly how Louie felt.

"Do you feel jealous of your brothers?"

Louie shrugged, frowning. "…Sometimes. Huey's really smart and Dewey's really brave. And I'm just…"

"Do you feel bitter towards them?"

"No. Not at all."

"Do you think that they're deliberately trying to make you feel bad?"

"N-no! They'd never..!"

Donald nodded. "There you go. That was me."

Louie fell silent. He didn't realize that his uncle also felt like this. Although, he should've realized a while ago…

"And…you got over those thoughts, right?" Louie asked hopefully. Donald didn't say anything for a few seconds, making Louie feel anxious. Did he not?

"I did. I got over those thoughts when she…" Donald said before stopping. "When I started to take care of you boys."

Louie felt a surge of hope rise within him.

"But…sometimes, these thoughts come back."

The hope dimmed down as quickly as it had come.

"They…do?"

"Well, yes. You can't expect me to just stop thinking this way about myself. I still think I'm a mess," Donald replied. Louie was starting to think he wasn't very good at cheering people up. "But I don't let that stop me from living my life. Nobody's perfect. You shouldn't be comparing yourself to your brothers or anyone else."

"Heh, that's what Webby was saying," Louie said, chuckling. It was…sort of refreshing. To hear that someone knows how he feels.

Maybe they were both right. He wasn't perfect…no one was. Maybe he needed to do what Uncle Donald did. Just accept who he was and then actually work to improve his life. He got the first part down. Now he just needs to do the second.

"Thanks, Uncle Donald," he thanked, smiling softly. Donald looked glad that he was able to give advice. Louie always felt…slightly more distant from his uncle than he should've been.

But now, it's different.

Louie wrapped his arms around Donald, bringing him into a hug. Donald was slightly surprised but returned the hug. Louie didn't let go for a few minutes. He needed a while to think about all of this. He knew that his friends and family loved him. He just didn't understand…why.

"Uncle Donald? Why are you and the others so nice to me?" he asked, pulling away.

"What do you mean?"

"I get why you have to tolerate me. But why are you guys being nice to me?"

"Why wouldn't we be nice to you?!" Donald exclaimed, not believing what he was hearing.

"Because sometimes I don't deserve it!" Louie said loudly as if he were stating a fact. Donald frowned and then took a deep breath.

"Louie," he sighed. "Okay, look. From now on, I need you to try to stop thinking badly of yourself. I need you to try and move on from these thoughts. Can you do that?"

Louie looked down before nodding. "Yeah. Yeah, I'll try."

Donald ruffled Louie's hair approvingly. The green triplet laughed as he pushed his uncle's hand away.

"Well, it's getting late. You should be heading to bed, Louie," Donald said, standing from the couch.

"Right."

Louie stood up and went to leave the boat. As he reached the door, he paused.

"Thanks, Uncle Donald," he said before leaving. He just needed to say it one more time.

Donald smiled, but as soon as Louie left, his smile was replaced with a concerned frown. Louie's been feeling like this all this time and he didn't even know. How much were the boys keeping from him?

He just hopes that Louie's okay in the end…

* * *

 **We all need more Louie-Donald bonding in our lives, don't we? As I was writing this, I realized that Louie and Donald had a lot more in common than I originally thought. Obviously, Donald is very similar to each of his nephews, especially to Huey. But when I read the comics that came out with Donald, Della, and Scrooge, I realized that both Louie and Donald had something in common. You already kind of get it, right?**

 **Oh well, I hope you liked this chapter anyways! Bye~!**


	4. Hope ends with Despair

The next day, Louie was feeling a little different. He woke up earlier than usual for some reason. When he woke up, he saw that it was only 4:30 am. Weird.

"Hm…?" he murmured, sleepily looking at his alarm clock. It hadn't gone off yet. It shouldn't have. And anyway, he usually wakes up way later than this. He doesn't think that Dewey or Huey are even awake yet.

He didn't feel like going back to sleep, either, which was really weird.

Louie lay there for a while, wondering what he should do now that he's awake. What was he going to do today?

Does he get up? Once he's up, what does he do?

He sat up and stretched. Louie quietly made his way to the closet and changed out of his pyjamas and into his hoodie. Okay. Great. What now?

Ugh, this is why he just sleeps until breakfast has already been made. Well, he might as well get some breakfast now.

Louie quietly exited the room and headed towards the kitchen. When he went inside, he saw that no one was eating. It made sense, why would anyone eat breakfast at 4 in the morning?

Louie groaned. He didn't want to wake anyone up just so that he could eat. Maybe…maybe if he goes to the 24/7 diner, then he could buy some breakfast for himself. Everyone else wouldn't be awake for several hours, so he probably has some time.

Finally deciding on what to do, Louie got out his wad of green sticky notes and went back to the bedroom. Once he was there, he quickly jotted down a note telling them where he's gone and when he'll be back. He put the note on his pillow and then grabbed some money before leaving the room and going to the foyer.

Before he headed out the front doors, he looked back and whispered, "Hey, Uncle Scrooge, can I go to the diner?"

No answer. He was the only one in the room, after all.

"Okay, byyyyye…"

Now no one can say that he didn't ask!

And with that he left the mansion, went down all the steps outside and snuck past the gate, stepping onto the streets of Duckburg.

It was quieter than usual outside, probably because it's so early in the morning, but he could still see cars driving by and people walking down the streets. He's just never seen so little of it before.

Louie began walking to the diner thinking about what he would buy. Well, obviously, he'd buy a breakfast burger for himself. Yeah, that sounds good. And he'd buy the others food as well…but he's pretty low on money.

Eh. They'll get their breakfast back home, so it's fine.

Maybe he should get Webby one as well, actually. He owes her. She's the one who bought all of their milkshakes yesterday and she's the one who tried to cheer him up with them.

Yeah, he'll get one for her as well, but that's all he can really afford.

As Louie occupied himself with these thoughts, something suddenly occurred to him. As he walked on the quiet sidewalks, he realized that he was actually content for once. He was alone, he was peaceful…

It's a different feeling, but it wasn't a bad one at all.

Maybe this is more for him. Having alone time outside of the mansion. Usually, his alone time at the mansion would make him more relaxed, but it would also make him lazier and it made him feel…I don't know…kinda sad sometimes.

And sure, he loved his family, but having a peaceful moment like this by himself was nice. He should do this often

 _Louie wasn't even aware of the pair of eyes that were watching his every move as he strolled…_

Louie saw a few people walking down the sidewalk on the other side of the street. Some people were completely calm. Some people looked like they needed to get places. Some people looked like they were merely enjoying life.

He was all three.

One thing was missing from this peaceful moment. Food. He was getting hungry, but he was taking his time. What's the rush, you know?

 _Louie wasn't even aware of the shadow that had crept up next to him when he passed a dark alleyway._

 ** _Louie wasn't ready for it._**

 _"_ _Now."_

A hand swiftly clamped his beak shut, causing him to jump, startled. Another arm wrapped around him, constricting his arms. They dragged him down the dark alleyway, holding him in a death grip. Louie tried to scream, but all that came out was a muffled cry. What was happening?!

Louie tried to pull away from his attacker, but they were stronger than him. Any kind of attempt to escape was futile, but he kept trying. He kicked at his attacker as he was getting dragged further into the alley, away from any witnesses.

What's going on?! Is he getting kidnapped?! No, no, no, no..!

Louie struggled as he tried looking back to see who was doing this, but the hand on his beak was also keeping his head looking forward, so he was forced to see the light of the streets get further and further away as he struggled.

He was scared. He didn't know what was happening. He didn't know what's going to happen.

He heard someone whisper something…then suddenly, he lost all of his energy. His eyes started closing and his limbs got weak. No…he needed to keep trying…! He…needs to get back home..!

But eventually, he was out like a light. The last thing he heard was the sound of a malevolent laugh.

* * *

 **And then he died. The end :D**

 **...Nah, it's not the end, but the next chapter will take a while to come out. This is where things get darker, so just stay tuned~! For now, bye!**


	5. The Weakest One

Everything was dark. He didn't know where he was or what was happening. Something was covering his eyes, blocking his vision entirely. He tried to reach up and take it off, but he found that he couldn't move his arms. In fact, his wrists were bound to what felt like the arms of the chair he was sitting on. He tried moving his legs, but his legs were also bound to the chair's legs with what felt like rope.

The rope was also wrapped around his torso and the back of the chair, preventing him from moving.

All he could think was ' _I'm gonna die, I'm gonna die, I'm gonna die_.'

He heard something move in the room he was in.

"H-Hello?" he called out. "I-Is anyone there?"

Don't cry, Louie. You're fine, just don't cry.

"Ah. You're awake," a female voice said. Although it did not sound friendly or comforting at all. It sounded mischievous and evil.

He's heard that voice before, he just couldn't pin where.

"W-who is that?! Let me go or..!"

"Or what?"

Suddenly, whoever captured him had taken off his blindfold so he could actually see. Louie blinked as his sense of vision came back. He looked down and saw that he was indeed bound to the chair he was sitting on. He looked around and saw that he was in a completely dark room.

Well…there was light. A spotlight shining only on him.

He looked to the left and right, but he could not see his captor anywhere in the surrounding darkness.

Keep it cool, Louie. Don't seem scared.

"W-who are you?!" he asked, trying to sound brave. "W-why am I here?!"

The malevolent laugh returned, echoing throughout the dark room. Louie tried not to look intimidated, but the way that laugh sounded made him shiver.

"Who am I?" The voice said as if she was waiting for him to ask. "Does the name…Magica De Spell ring a bell for you?"

…

Magica De Spell…of course. That name's all too familiar. She's another one of Scrooge's enemies.

"Let me go..!" Louie exclaimed. "I-If you don't..!"

"If I don't, then what?" Magica's voice asked, sarcastically. She didn't sound scared of whatever threat he was about to make.

"I-If you don't let me go, you're going to have to deal with Scrooge..!" Louie yelled at the darkness. He…wasn't sure where she was, so it was good enough.

Magica laughed again, a sound that Louie took as a bad sign. She didn't sound intimidated at all…

Louie decided to cut to the chase. "Why am I here?"

"Your uncle has something I want. Something I've been trying to get for years…"

Louie frowned. "His money?"

"More specifically, his lucky dime," Magica corrected. He could practically _hear_ the sneer in her voice.

Louie tried struggling a little bit to see if he could free his wrists of the bonds that held them to the chair arms. Didn't work. Louie decided to keep talking.

"His lucky dime? Ha, good luck with that," Louie chuckled, smugly, masking his fear. "I'd like to see you try."

Magica merely laughed evilly, sending a shiver down Louie's back once again. Louie had to remind himself…Scrooge had dealt with Magica in the past a bunch of times. He was going to be fine. Don't panic.

…Though Magica is way scarier than Scrooge made her out to be in his stories…

Louie gulped and kept his brave mask on.

"Anyway, you better let me go, or, you know, bad things will happen," he says, sounding more relaxed and confident than he felt. "Can you at least give me some food or something? I was about to get food until you oh-so rudely kidnapped me."

"Ah, I'm afraid I can't do that. See, I need that dime," Magica answered, sounding like she wasn't letting him go anytime soon. She didn't seem to buy into any of his threats…and she didn't seem fazed by his sarcasm.

"Let me guess, I'm the hostage," Louie said, bored. He rolled his eyes. "You're gonna tell Scrooge that he has to give you the dime or else you'll kill me or whatever. How very original."

Sarcasm was pretty much the only thing what helped Louie keep calm in this situation.

"Sorry to burst your bubble, but that's not gonna work, buddy," he continued. "You know you're just painting a target on yourself, right?"

Magica started laughing again. "Nice try. However, that's not why you're here…"

"Then…why _am_ I here..?" Louie asked, breaking his confident façade. If she wasn't going to use him as a hostage, then what?!

"You're the one who's going to get that dime for me."

…

"Excuse me?! No, thanks?!" Louie exclaimed, taken aback. He was appalled. Magica actually expects Louie to help her?!

"We'll see about that."

The malevolent laugh echoed through the dark room again as Louie heard another feminine voice whisper something like a spell in the darkness. Who else was there?!

Before he could try figuring out who it was, he saw that out of the darkness, a red magic aura was floating towards him.

"W-What's that?!" he shouted, panicking now. He saw the red magic coming closer and closer, making him more panicked. Fear gripped him. His heart was beating out of his chest as he tried to struggle out of his chair.

He couldn't move, though.

Eventually, the red aura wafted over his face. Louie held his breath, scared that it might've been poisonous or lethal. He shut his eyes closed and braced for the worst to happen. Maybe it was going to kill him. Maybe it was a curse. Whatever it was, he can't give into it. If Magica wanted him to help her, then he was gonna fight it. He'll fight it. He'll…he'll…

…

Louie opened one of his eyes. The red magic had faded away, but he didn't feel any different. He wasn't dead…nor was he cursed…

What? What did that do? What was it supposed to do?

"Eh..?!" he heard Magica exclaim in astonishment. "It didn't work…"

"What didn't work?!" Louie asked, both relieved and scared.

"You seem to have more willpower than I thought…" Magica's voice murmured, ignoring him. "And here I thought you were the weak one out of the brats."

"Weak?" Louie repeated, sort of offended, even he didn't know what she was talking about. "What do you mean…?"

Magica paused for a bit before he heard her snicker evilly.

"Why, nothing. I just meant that I thought you were the weakest out of the McDuck brats, that's all," she said, nonchalantly. Louie was silent. "I mean, you're certainly not as strong-willed as your pesky brothers or that girl…"

…

"Those three would've been much too troublesome for me to have captured. The red one has a strong mind and the blue one is much too stubborn. The girl would've certainly put up too much of a fight, so certainly, you were the easiest and most vulnerable target. And I figured you would be the most cooperative with my plan, Louie."

Louie hated the way she knew his name. "…A-and why's that…?"

"You're the one they call…the "Evil Triplet", aren't you?"

"T-That's not a serious title-!" Louie suddenly shouted, defensively. He's not actually evil-!

"Well, I figured that with a title like that, you'd be willing to help me get that dime," Magica said, maliciously.

Louie was shaking. "Stupid nicknames aside, w-why would I ever do that?! As if I'd do that to my own family..!"

"Why do you care about them so much, when they don't even care about you?"

Louie froze.

"W-what..?"

"I've been watching your family, Louie. I've been seeing about how they mistreat you and belittle you. I've seen how they treat you like the outcast," Magica whispered, menacingly.

"T-They don't do that…" Louie refuted weakly. He says that, but he could feel himself grow weaker as he thought about it.

"Don't deny it! They think you're a nuisance, they constantly make you the butt of the jokes. Don't act like you don't notice it!" Magica shouted a little more aggressively.

"It's j-just a family thing..! They just tease me, but they…they don't really m-mean it..!" he rebutted, closing his eyes and shaking his head frantically. "Besides, I probably deserve all the teasing anyway!"

 _Don't listen to her, she's doing this on purpose._

"It doesn't seem like just teasing to me. Why do you think they always make fun of you, specifically?"

"B-Because…because I deserve it! I'm a mess!" Louie answered, laughing. His laughs weren't filled with joy, though. It was like a laugh of defeat. "But that doesn't mean they mean anything they say!"

"Denial is pointless!" Magica's voice bellowed.

"I'm not in denial!" Louie protested. "They still care about me."

"I wouldn't be too sure of that."

"Huh..?"

As Louie wondered what she meant, another stream of magic aura slowly flew out of the darkness, except it was white this time. Louie flinched but did not struggle as it flew closer and closer to him. The last one didn't hurt, so this one shouldn't either…

Although, unlike last time, the magic did not waft over him. Instead, the white aura stopped in front of him and gathered together until it formed a big, white, misty, ball. Louie hesitated a peered into it.

He gasped at what he saw.

There, he saw his family back at the mansion. Scrooge, Huey, Dewey, and Webby were in the mansion's living room. Scrooge was sitting in his sofa chair, reading the newspaper, and the kids were supposedly playing a board game.

"G-guys!" Louie cried, desperately, hoping they could hear him. "Guys, help..!"

...But it seemed like they didn't hear his cry for help. Louie was disappointed, but that's when he realized. Was this how Magica kept an eye on them? Why is she showing this to him now?

Inside the mist, Louie could see that Scrooge was reading the paper. The old duck cleared his throat.

"Has anyone seen Louie lately?" he asked, not looking up from the article. Louie felt a surge of hope rise within him. They noticed his absence. Louie could spot the wall clock as well. It read…2:47 pm?! How long has he been gone?!

"Nope," the three younger ducks said in unison, shrugging. No one looked up from the board game. Louie faltered a little bit. They…they didn't seem too concerned.

"I think he went to the diner or something," Huey answered, seeming more preoccupied with the game. "Dewey, it's your turn."

Dewey rolled the dice, cheering when he got a six. As he moved his piece down the board, he said, "Yeah, Louie's been gone for like, ten hours…Ha! Take that, Webby! I beat you!"

Webby huffed as Dewey's piece went past hers. "The game's not over yet! I'll catch up!"

Louie frowned. Ten hours..? TEN HOURS?! He's been gone for ten hours and they're not even concerned?! Surely that's enough time to raise some alarms?!

They didn't seem worried in the slightest..! They're just focused on their game!

"Ah, okay," Scrooge answered, flipping the page. Okay? OKAY? That's all he could say? OKAY?

Louie's tied up, scared for his life. He doesn't even know where he is. He's been gone way longer than he should've been, so why weren't they…?

"It's probably for the better, anyways," Webby giggled, rolling the dice. Hm? What did she mean?

She moved her board piece forward and said, "If Louie were here, he'd probably cheat at this game."

Louie froze. Webby, Huey, and Dewey started laughing. They looked like they were having so much fun…without him…

They were… _glad_ he wasn't there.

"Honestly, he would," Huey agreed, smiling. "I mean, he always does."

Louie started to shake for some reason. He didn't want to watch this anymore. He's seen enough.

"That lad can be a real handful sometimes, eh?" Scrooge added. The kids laughed, making Louie frown more.

"Yeah, I dunno what his deal is," Dewey laughed. "We grew up with him, but we still don't know why he's so…you know."

Huey nodded in agreement. He rolled the dice and then moved his own piece. "Yeah, we just kinda live with it."

Louie wants to stop watching this. He gets it already…!

He could already feel the tears well up in this eyes, even if he tried to stop it.

"So I guess, it's kinda a good thing he's not here right now," Webby said, cheerfully. The way she said it was so carefree and happy. Her smile was as bright and genuine as ever.

That just hurt way more.

She meant what she said. They all did. They were having such a good time while he wasn't there. They were having so much fun _because_ he wasn't there..! It just confirmed a fear that Louie held for a long time. They didn't care about him, they just tolerated him..! No, no, no..!

"Enough!" Louie cried, shutting his eyes closed as he felt the tears stream down his face. He knew he was being a crybaby right now, but he couldn't help it.

Louie got lost in his own, terrible thoughts. Was anything that Webby and Donald said true then?! Did Webby lie to him? She was cheering him up yesterday, telling him that he was a good friend and that she actually cared about him…but what he just saw proved that she actually preferred not being around him. She's way happier when he's not around..!

And then there's Huey and Dewey. They've been dealing with him their whole lives. They're stuck with him because they're part of a triplet set, but they like it when he's not around to mess everything up for them. Louie felt the guilt crash down on him.

He feels guilty for everything. He feels guilty for making Webby and the others uncomfortable, he's guilty of being such a nuisance, he's guilty because he couldn't keep the promise he made to Uncle Donald.

 _"From now on, I need you to try to stop thinking badly about yourself. I need you to try and move on from these thoughts. Can you do that?"_

He can't..! He really, really tried..! But he couldn't! It's just like Magica said…

Louie was too weak.

He felt weak. Louie breathed heavily as the tears kept falling. This is what he feared most. That his family didn't care about him. And it's true. It's all his fault, isn't it? Despite anything they said, his family are still good people. His uncles, his brothers, Webby…they're all so good...and he's practically the opposite of them…which means…

He's…bad?

That's what it meant, didn't it?

He opened his eyes slowly and looked down, feeling his defenses crumble completely.

"You see?" Magica's voice spoke up again after a while. Louie was emotionally drained. He felt almost numb. Almost empty.

"Your family calls you the Evil Triplet…" the witch's voice said softly and maliciously. "Let's put some truth to that claim…"

 **"It's not like you have a choice."**

Louie said nothing as he heard the second female voice from earlier whisper a spell again. The same red magic came from the darkness, flying towards him. This time, Louie did not struggle. What was the point..? He didn't know what to do anymore…

The magic wafted over his entire body. That's when…

Louie felt the effects of the spell taking a toll on him. He felt his consciousness flicker back and forth. And then suddenly…he wasn't conscious anymore.

Or at least, THAT part of Louie wasn't conscious anymore.

…

When "Louie" awakened and opened his eyes, he didn't say anything. He looked around the dark room. He already knew what was happening. Somehow, he already knew what his objective was even though he just woke up.

"It worked…" the voice of Magica De Spell sneered. Ah. There she is.

"You know what you need to do, yes?" she asked, evilly. Louie nodded once. His irises glowed red in the darkness as he looked at the dark shadows.

"Yes. I'll do anything you say."

* * *

 **...**

 **Yeah, I'm definitely more used to writing fluff, as you can see. I'm not really sure if the angst is going overboard or not, but in any case, it's important to the story..! Evil!Louie is finally here! Yay?**

 **If it seems like Magica is a little out of character here, it's because this is just how she is in this AU. I know in the old Ducktales, she was a little more of a comical type of villain, but it seems like in the new Ducktales, she's a lot more sinister so that's the kind of Magica I decided she was gonna be for this story.**

 **But anyways, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter..! I'll immediately get to writing the next one! Until then, goodbye~!**


	6. Missing

Webby, Huey, and Dewey were running around Duckburg looking for the youngest nephew. They were all worried out of their minds. They've been searching for several hours, asking around.

But Louie was nowhere to be seen.

It was around 8:46 am when they started searching outside. The first place they went to was the diner because that's where Louie said he'd be on his note. It was Huey's idea.

"Let's check the diner," he said as they left the manor and stepped onto the sidewalk. "Louie's probably there."

"You think he's _still_ at the diner?" Dewey asked, frowning. "Really?!"

"Well do you have any better ideas?!" Huey replied, irritated. The stress was making him angrier than usual.

"I-I dunno..!" Dewey said, getting slightly frustrated too. "I just think that he wouldn't be at there for that long!"

"We should still check it!" Huey argued, looking agitated.

Webby who had silently been looking down at the phone that Scrooge had lent her, groaned in frustration. She was also stressed. Her friend was missing and his brothers were busy arguing!

"Ugh, you two, enough!" she yelled, just loud enough to startle the two boys. "We don't have time for this!"

Webby tried calling Louie's number again and held it up to her ear as it rang. "We're going to the diner. No questions. Let's go."

Usually, Huey might've looked somewhat smug about being right, but he and Dewey just nodded and followed Webby as she started making her way to their destination.

As Webby sped walked, leading the way, Louie's voice talked through the phone, making Webby feel hopeful for a split second.

"Hey, this is Louie, the _super_ rich nephew of Scrooge McDuck. I'm not here right now, but leave a message after the beep, 'kay?"

 ** _Beep_**.

Webby sighed and hung up. Voicemail. Again.

Before she knew it, they had already reached the diner, the place that Louie said he would be. Immediately, Dewey went in first. He really hoped Louie was here. So did Huey and Webby.

As soon as they entered, Dewey walked right up to the counter, looking determined and worried at the same time.

"Hi, what would you li-" the employee at the counter started to greet before getting interrupted by the blue triplet.

"Have you seen Louie?" he asked immediately, looking the employee dead in the eyes. The employee blinked, confused.

"Who..?"

"Louie Duck? One of Scrooge McDuck's nephews? Looks like me and him?" Dewey asked, exasperated, point to Huey and himself. "Except he's wearing a green hoodie?"

Huey didn't bother correcting his grammar when it came to "me and him". He just didn't like the way the employee looked confused. It implied that they haven't seen Louie.

"N-No, I'm sorry. I didn't see anyone like that. And I've had the shift for the whole day," the employee apologized.

Webby couldn't stop the worry that came over her when they said that. Never mind the fact that the employee was working all day. Louie wasn't here..! That means he never got here..! That means something must've happened to him on his way over..!

Huey saw her expression and put a comforting hand on her shoulder. He was just as worried as she was.

"Come on, let's check other places," he suggested, trying to stay calm. He and Webby tried to head to the exit, but he noticed that Dewey hadn't moved.

"Dewey? Let's go…" Webby said, wondering if he didn't hear Huey. Dewey turned to face them and shook his head.

"Not yet. We haven't checked the whole diner," he said, stubbornly.

Immediately, Dewey went up and down the establishment, calling out Louie's name as he looked at every single booth. The people sitting at the booths were confused but tried to ignore the child who was speed walking through the place.

"Dewey, the employee said they didn't see him," Huey tried to say as Dewey passed him, going to check the other end of the diner.

"Yeah, well, maybe they're blind!" Dewey shouted back as he continued checking every single booth, regardless if there were people seated at them or not.

The employee frowned but did not say anything as they watched Dewey.

Huey rubbed his temples, irritated. Dewey was wasting time. Sure, he was trying, but they really didn't have time for this right now.

As Webby watched Dewey stubbornly check every inch of the diner, she dialed Louie's number on the phone again, desperate for him to pick up.

…

"Hey, this is Louie, the _super_ rich nephew of Scrooge McDuck. I'm not here right now but-"

Webby hung up, defeated. Voicemail again. She tried not to worry…

But there was a reason he wasn't picking up. Louie ALWAYS has his phone on him. It doesn't matter the situation. Even when they were on adventures, he would always bring his phone. So why wasn't he answering? Either something happened to him or…he's choosing not to pick up..?

Why would that be…?

It couldn't be that he…ran away..?

That was the only other thing that Webby could think of at the moment, as much as she hated the thought. No. No, Louie wouldn't run away. Why would he? He has no reason…

She paused in her thoughts.

…Lately, Louie's been having bad thoughts about himself. Like, a lot. Just yesterday alone, he confided in her. He told her about all of the bad thoughts he's been having.

And maybe…even though she tried her best to comfort him…yesterday was the last straw for him? Could it be…maybe if she did a better job of cheering him up then maybe he wouldn't have run away at all…?

That's…no, that couldn't be it. He didn't run away. Webby dialed Louie's number again, seeing Huey with his head in his hand with her peripheral vision. She held the phone up to her ear as she saw Dewey speed walking up and down the diner, looking more desperate by the second, calling out Louie's name.

"Hey, this is Louie, the _super_ rich nephew-"

Webby hung up. She frowned but for some reason, she didn't stop there. She dialed again.

Voicemail.

Dialed again.

Voicemail.

Again.

Voicemail.

Again…

Voice…mail…

"Why won't you pick up?!" she yelled in frustration at the phone before hanging her head down. She wanted to break the phone at this point, but it wasn't even hers. She just hung her head and pressed the phone to her forehead, trying her best not to panic or snap or something.

Huey looked at her in concern. Webby looked like she was trying not to snap and Dewey looked like he was losing his mind as he checked the entire diner for the fifth time.

Huey has to stay calm for both of them. Part of him believes that they would find Louie, but another part of him is telling himself that that's just wishful thinking. It just doesn't make sense..! Louie was fine until yesterday..! Yesterday, he was feeling pretty down. Huey could tell...did that have anything to do with this?

The red triplet shook his head. He has to think about this rationally. He needs to find his brother, but obviously, they weren't going to find him here…

"Guys…he's not here so…let's go."

Eventually, Dewey gave up. He approached Huey and Webby, looking defeated and worn out. Huey put a hand on his shoulder to comfort him. Webby didn't seem to be paying attention. She opened her eyes, but instead of listening to them, started dialing Louie's number once again, hopelessly hoping for a different outcome.

Dewey sighed and gently grabbed Webby's arm to direct her attention away from the phone, which let out another voicemail message from Louie.

Webby looked at Dewey and Huey, then looked down defeated.

"You two ready to start searching other places..?" Huey asked gently. Dewey and Webby, who were usually so full of energy, nodded silently.

While Huey was glad they were ready to leave, he was concerned. Dewey and Webby were so determined to find Louie, but since their biggest lead – the diner – had led them nowhere, they now look lost.

It was the same with Huey…he was trying not to panic. The diner WAS their biggest clue, after all. He was hoping that once they got here, either Louie would be here or SOMEONE would've seen him. And if someone had seen him, then they could go from there.

But no. No one saw him. They didn't have any clues or leads now. All they could do was check all the other places that Louie might be.

Huey looked at Webby. Usually, she was really good at solving these kinds of mysteries on adventures. But this wasn't an adventure and this wasn't a fun mystery. This time, Webby wasn't thinking rationally anymore. She was lost in thought as she kept on trying to call Louie.

Dewey was stubborn, but sometimes that was a good thing. He was determined and refused to lose. If there was a mystery, he'd try his best to solve it even if he didn't completely know what he was doing. Huey's never seen Dewey so worn out. He guesses that after a few minutes, Dewey will be back to his energized self, but right now, he looked like so defeated.

"Alright," Huey said, in a calming tone. "Let's go then…"

…

Later, it was 2:47 pm in the McDuck Manor. Scrooge was sitting in his chair in the living room, his looking down at his golden flip phone, feeling distressed. Also in the living room was Donald, pacing back and forth.

Donald was voicing his worries while Scrooge stayed silent. "Where is he?! What if something happened to him?! Why are we just staying here?! Why aren't we out there, looking for him?!"

"We need to be here in case he shows up, lad," Scrooge responded, frowning at his phone's screen.

He's tried calling Louie's phone, but the green triplet wouldn't answer…

"Besides, the kids, Launchpad, and Beakley are already searching Duckburg," the old duck reassured Donald. It was also to reassure himself.

He did not like sitting around while his nephew was missing, just like Donald. But he had to be here in case. In case Louie showed up at the mansion. Besides…Scrooge felt something that made him feel weak.

In Scrooge's other hand was a green sticky note that Huey and Dewey found on Louie's pillow. It was a note telling them where he'd gone.

" _I'm going to the diner to get myself some breakfast. I'll be back by 5:00 am probably. If I'm not back in an hour call the police haha_

 _-Louie_

 _P.S. No, Dewey, I'm not gonna get you anything from the diner."_

And that was it. It was WAY past 5:00 am. That was all Louie left before he disappeared. He's probably fine…he's fine…

Something flashed in Scrooge's mind, making him shake. Louie's note. Something about it rubbed Scrooge the wrong way. It was the last thing they saw of Louie before he randomly disappeared. It reminded him all too much of a certain note that Della had left before she…

...

No. This wasn't the same. Not at all. Louie was alright. The lad was going to show up any minute and everything was going to be okay.

He just has to wait here until-

"We're back."

Scrooge and Donald snapped out of their thoughts and looked at who had said that. They saw Huey, Dewey, Webby, Beakley, and Launchpad walk into the living room, back from their search.

"Did you find him?!" Donald wasted no time in asking, looking around them for a sign of the missing triplet.

Every single one of them frowned, indicating that they clearly haven't. Launchpad coughed.

"Looked everywhere, but there was no sign of the little dude," he spoke up. Donald looked at Beakley for confirmation.

"Launchpad and I searched from the sky and even checked the Money Bin," she affirmed. Beakley and Launchpad had used his plane to see if they could possibly spot Louie from above and Scrooge had given them permission to look in the Money Bin just in case Louie might've been lurking there for whatever reason. However, it looks like he wasn't even there…

Donald tried not to panic just yet. Though, that was proving to be very difficult…

"Did you three have any luck?" Scrooge asked the kids. All three shook their heads, all very upset. Huey decided to speak up for them.

"Dewey, Webby, and I have been going around Duckburg for hours. We looked everywhere. We checked the arcade, the mall, all of the other places that Louie likes, but we couldn't find him..!"

"We even checked all the places that he probably wouldn't go to!" Dewey added. "We checked the library, school, heck, we even checked the gym!"

"He won't answer any of my calls," Webby said, looking extremely worried. "And no matter where we look, no one's seen him..!"

Scrooge frowned and looked down at the green sticky note in his hand.

"Have you checked-?"

"We checked the diner," Dewey interrupted Scrooge. "They said they haven't even seen him today…"

"What?!" Donald cried, losing his cool. Louie wasn't even there?! Now what?!

Scrooge looked down, deep in thought. As he was silent, Donald vented everything out,

"I can't believe we let this happen! Something must've happened to him! How are we going to find him now?!" he quacked angrily, letting his frustration out.

Webby looked at him in concern. She didn't have the heart to voice the possibility that Louie had chosen to leave. She didn't have the heart to say that Louie might've run away from home on his own accord. She didn't want to say it because she didn't want to believe it.

However, the more she thought about it, the more plausible it seemed. First, Louie was acting upset yesterday, even if he tried not to show it. And even though she tried cheering him up, maybe it wasn't enough. Then the morning after he just disappeared? Now that she thinks about it, it makes sense…

That's why Louie wasn't answering her calls. As said before, Louie ALWAYS has his phone on him. Always fully charged whenever he goes out too. That was the most alarming thing about this whole situation. If Louie wasn't answering anyone's calls, that must've meant that something happened to him or he was choosing not to answer.

She's not sure which one sounds worse in her opinion.

And the note he left…saying that he was just going to the diner and was going to be back by 5:00 am…

It must've been a lie...

"Uh, Mr. McD?" Launchpad spoke up, snapping Webby out of her thoughts. "Do ya think we should go to the police?"

"For once, I think Launchpad is right," Mrs. Beakley agreed. "It's time we file a missing person report."

Scrooge was silent, lost in thought.

"It's been hours and we still haven't found him," she continued, stern. "If you want to find your nephew, then I'm afraid this is the best option we have. We alone can't search every inch of Duckburg."

Another thought struck Webby. What if Louie wasn't in Duckburg anymore..? He's been gone for ten hours. Plenty of time to leave the city on foot…or by cab…or by public transport or SOMETHING. However method he used to leave, it's definitely possible that he did…

…Webby had to say something…

"Y-you don't think he-?"

 **KNOCK KNOCK**.

Everyone froze. They heard two _very_ loud knocks from the front doors in the foyer. In fact, the knocks sounded as if someone was banging on the front doors.

Everyone in the living room was silent, but one thing ran through all of their minds.

Louie?

The first one to run into the foyer was Donald, feeling hope shoot through him. Louie was back..?!

Donald was closely followed by Huey, Dewey, Webby, and Scrooge, then by Launchpad and Beakley. Suddenly, all of Webby's worries about Louie running away had gone out the window as they reached the front door. He was back..?!

Donald wasted no time in swinging the door open.

"LOU…"

He fell silent. The others looked outside and saw…no Louie. He wasn't there. In fact, no one was. No one was at the door. Who knocked on the door earlier, though?

Huey and Dewey felt the disappointment crash down on them. They had gotten their hopes up for nothing. There was no sign of the third triplet, but if Louie hadn't knocked on the door, then who did?!

Scrooge furrowed his eyebrows and walked up to Donald, who was silent and staring blankly at nothing. The rich duck looked down at an object which lay in front of his nephew's feet. Scrooge picked it up and examined it. It looked like whoever knocked had left his in front of the door.

"What is it?" Launchpad asked as they all looked at the object in Scrooge's hands, curiously. It didn't take long for them to recognize it.

"Is that..?" Dewey said in realization.

In Scrooge's hands was a smartphone. A green phone. Louie's phone. And not only that but attached to the phone was a note written on paper.

Scrooge took the note off as Webby grabbed Louie's phone. She tried turning it on, hoping for something to appear, like a clue or something. However, it didn't turn on, indicating that it was dead.

Did Louie leave his phone here? It seemed really unlikely for some reason…

"Uncle Scrooge?" Huey asked, looking at the older duck, who was reading the note. "What does it say?"

" _Scrooge McDuck_ ," Scrooge read aloud. " _I have your nephew in my grasp. If you do not want anything bad to happen to him, then I suggest you bring me your special dime. You will find him in the old and abandoned warehouse. Do it or else you'll never see your precious nephew again. Magica De Spell_."

Everyone was silent, a feeling of severe worry or dread washed over some of them. Strangely enough, Scrooge let out a sigh of relief.

"Oh good, it's just her," he said, relieved. "And here I thought it was going to be a real problem."

"UM," Dewey spoke up, not understanding why Scrooge was so calm. "Did I hear that right? Louie's locked up somewhere?!"

"We have to save him..!" Webby piped up in concern. Her theory about Louie running away was thankfully wrong, but hearing that he's held up somewhere as a hostage isn't any better to her!

"Uncle Scrooge, what are we waiting for?!" Huey said, hysterical. "We have to help him ASAP!"

"Don't worry, lad. We will," Scrooge replied, scrunching the paper in his hand. "I'm just relieved because he's not in as much danger as I initially thought. If you remember, Magica De Spell is just one of my old nemeses. She tries to be malevolent and evil, however, she never wins. This should be easy, aye Donald?"

Scrooge smirked and shot Donald a smug look. However, Donald wasn't paying attention. He was basically seething with rage.

"That old hag has one of my boys!" he quacked furiously, looking ready for a fight. "She's gonna regret it!"

"Aye, that's the spirit, lad," the old duck grinned. He adjusted his top hat with a confident smirk. "Besides, that witch clearly isn't the brightest if she thinks this hostage plan will work. I'm not planning on givin' up my lucky dime anytime soon. She just marked herself as a target."

Dewey grinned, feeling Scrooge's confidence to be uplifting. Yeah! Uncle Scrooge was right! This was going to be easy! All they have to do is beat Magica and they'll get Louie back! It was like a mission!

"Woo-hoo! Let's do it!" he cheered, ready to fight as well. Huey and Webby smiled and agreed.

"Yeah! Let's go now!" Webby said, determined to save her friend.

Scrooge smiled as he saw their confident expressions. Saving Louie should be a piece of cake.

"Then we'll go at once," he declared, holding his cane in front of him. "Launchpad, Beakley, I think you two can sit this one out. It's just Magica, after all."

"Very well," Mrs. Beakley nodded. "Make sure to be careful."

"You got it, Mr. McD!" Launchpad replied. "You sure you don't need a ride?"

"It should be fine. The warehouse isn't that far away. Again, another oversight on Magica's part."

"Alrighty then!"

Donald wasn't paying attention to anything else. He looked over the city of Duckburg, fists clenched as he tried not to let his anger out yet. All he was thinking about was the fact that Magica had the nerve to kidnap his nephew and try to use him as a hostage, all for Scrooge's stupid dime. He can't believe how idiotic she was. If there was one thing you should never do, it was to mess with Donald's nephews. She had obviously underestimated this family.

"Let's go show that witch what we're made of."

* * *

 **Aaaaand I'm ending the chapter there! What will happen next chapter? WHO KNOOOWS?**

 **Ha.**

 **Well, you're gonna have to find out next time, which I think shouldn't take too long. A few things to note in this chapter; first of all, yeah, yeah I know. Old and abandoned warehouse is such a cliche place. Secondly, the first part of this chapter happens _before_ the last chapter, but the second part happens _during/after_ the last chapter. It's just to show what the others are doing while Louie was with Magica.**

 **If this was to show what the others were doing while Louie was gone, then what does that say about what Magica showed Louie last chapter?**

 **...**

 **FIND OUT LATER, BYE.**


	7. Liar, Liar

There they were. Scrooge, Donald, and the kids were standing outside the abandoned warehouse which apparently held the missing green triplet. Not only him, but it was where Magica De Spell was, waiting for them.

All of the ducks were feeling different emotions as they stood at the door. Scrooge and Dewey felt confident. Donald felt enraged. Huey and Webby were determined, but cautious. Even so, they all had the same goal.

Save Louie.

"Alright, listen up, everyone," Scrooge said, a determined look on his face. "Donald, Webbigail and I will take care of Magica. Huey and Dewey will help Louie. Got it?"

The other four ducks nodded, looking just as determined. Scrooge looked at the warehouse doors and reached into his coat. He felt around until he found his dime. There was no way Magica was getting what she wanted. She thinks that she can use his family to get his number one dime. She thought wrong.

"Let's go."

 **BAM!**

Scrooge and the others forced the door open and burst in, all holding fighting stances, ready to unleash everything they had on Magica.

…

However, they did not see her. Nor did they see Louie. Where were they? Perhaps the two were deeper into the warehouse..?

"Magica!" Scrooge called out in the darkness, looking around for any sign of the witch. "We're here for Louie. Take us on, ye coward!"

Each duck strained their ears trying to listen for a response. However, instead of the sound of Magica replying, they heard something completely different.

" ** _UNCLE SCROOGE..!_** " they heard a terrified voice cry out for help, echoing throughout the empty warehouse. Instantly, all five ducks paused. That cry for help. That was..!

"…Louie..!" Donald exclaimed, breaking the silence. He immediately took off deeper into the warehouse, following the sound of his nephew's scared voice. Louie was scared..! He was terrified..! Donald needed to get to him _now_.

"Let's go," Scrooge told the kids, following Donald. Huey, Dewey, and Webby did not protest and immediately followed their uncles, feeling anxious but determined at the same time.

Donald ran as fast as he could, desperate to reach his nephew. He ran and ran and kept running until…he saw it.

Scrooge and the kids had just caught up to Donald when they saw it too.

They saw Louie. A single spotlight shined down on him as they saw him tied up, bound to a chair. His wrists, legs, and torso were tied to the chair which prevented him from moving. And to top it all off, he was blindfolded.

"Louie…!" Webby cried out, the sight shocking her.

"W-Webby?!" he responded, sounding desperate. They saw him try to struggle out of the chair. "I-Is that you?!"

"Don't worry, we're getting you out of here..!" Dewey assured him, running up to his brother. The blue triplet tugged at the ropes, hoping to loosen the bonds somehow.

…He really didn't know what he was doing, though.

"That's not how you do it," Huey sighed, making Dewey move over. He carefully started untying the knots as Dewey tried to help.

"Huey..? Dewey..?" Louie said, shakily, hearing his brothers' voices. "Get me _out_ of here..! Where have you guys been-?"

"Where have _we_ been?! **Where have _you_ been!?**" Dewey retorted, taking off Louie's blindfold. He chucked the blindfold to the side and immediately tried freeing Louie's wrists.

"Here, obviously!" Louie shot back, blinking as his vision returned.

As Huey and Dewey tried to free Louie from his bonds, Scrooge looked around the abandoned warehouse. Where was Magica? She should be here. They found Louie already, so where was the blasted witch?

Donald seemed to be wondering the same thing. "Where is she..?"

They were surrounded by darkness, so it was hard to see. The only light that shone in the dark warehouse was the spotlight that was over Louie, so everything else was covered in the shadows. However, there was an unnerving feeling that everyone felt. Like they weren't alone.

And sure enough, they heard a laugh.

Her laugh.

Scrooge tensed up and whipped his head around, trying to find the source of the laugh in the dark shadows.

"Magica..!" Scrooge called out, getting frustrated by her cowardice. "Show yourself, ye old hag!"

"Ahahaha, oh, Scrooge. Still the same as always, I see," a malevolent female voice sneered in the darkness. "You know what I want, don't you? It's your nephew or your dime. Make the choice."

"Not a chance, Magica," Scrooge said, sternly. He's not going to play her game. "I think we'll take both, thanks."

Scrooge couldn't see her, but he's almost certain that she's glaring at him. Heh. Magica's an imbecile if she thinks she can just get what she wants so easily. She's forgotten who she is dealing with.

"Give me the dime or the green one _gets it_."

Scrooge did not waver. He snuck a glance at Louie, who had just been freed by his brothers. Louie hopped out of the chair as soon as possible and was immediately brought into a group hug from Huey and Dewey.

"Guys, I-…" Louie shakily said, hugging them tighter.

"It's okay. We're getting out of here," Huey soothed, patting him on the back. Louie visibly calmed down.

Webby rushed over to the group. Huey and Dewey took a step back, allowing Webby to envelop Louie in a tight hug, barely letting him have time to process it.

"You..!" Webby started, her tone sounding both relieved and frustrated. "Don't ever disappear like that again..! You scared us..!"

"S-Sorry..!" Louie tried to say, though, since Webby's grip was so strong, he was having trouble breathing. "W-Webby, I…I can't…breathe-!"

Webby immediately loosen her grip on him and took a step back. "Sorry-!"

"It's okay…" Louie said, breathing heavily, rubbing his sore ribcage.

Donald, who was watching the whole display, walked over and embraced Louie, relieved to see that he wasn't harmed in any way. Louie felt his uncle hug him. The green triplet immediately wrapped his arms around Donald.

Donald pulled away and looked at his nephew.

"Thank goodness, you're safe…" he says, relieved. He was going to say more but then something made him pause. Maybe it was just his imagination, but for some reason, he feels like he saw a flash of red for a split second...

Hm.

Scrooge watched Donald lead the kids safely behind him. The Scottish trillionaire smirked and looked at the darkness.

"Nephew? Check." He reached into his coat and pulled out his number one dime. "Dime? Check. Now if you'll excuse us, Magica, we will be leaving now."

He turned, knowing that Magica would never allow that. Sure enough, he heard her growl, agitated that her plan had failed. Haha.

"Not so fast, McDuck..!" Magica bellowed, her voice echoing in the large warehouse. "I will get that dime, even if I have to _take_ it from you!"

In the light of the spotlight that shone down upon Louie's empty chair, Scrooge saw dark, shadowy creatures morph from the darkness into the light, taking the form of dark, silhouetted and deformed monsters.

Scrooge wasn't fazed.

"Donald, Webbigail, you know what to do," he said, holding his cane out in front of him. Donald and Webby left the triplets' side and stood next to Scrooge, looking ready for a fight. "Huey, Dewey, protect your brother."

One of the creatures made the first move and lunged forward towards Scrooge. Scrooge immediately swung his cane, striking the creature before it could reach him. The creature was thrown back into the shadows, letting out a cry of pain.

"One down," he smugly said.

The other dark monsters lunged forward at the three ducks. Scrooge continued beating down every monster with his cane, dodging its attacks without effort. Webby had opted for using karate against the monsters, letting out battle cries as she did so. Donald, full of rage at the monsters, attacked them from every angle, quacking loudly and angrily.

Meanwhile, Louie was timidly standing a few feet away from the fight, with Huey and Dewey by his side. Huey was fussing over Louie, trying to see if he was injured.

"No external injuries?" Huey asked, examining Louie's head, hands, and legs.

Louie shook his head. "No, I'm good…"

"Did Magica hurt you?" Dewey asked, curious and worried. Louie shook his head again.

"Not really. She really scared me though."

They looked at the fight. Scrooge, Donald, and Webby seemed to have taken most of the dark creatures down. It appears that Magica's backup plan was failing as well.

Louie looked down, refusing to meet anyone's eyes. "I'm glad you guys are here…I wanna go home…"

"It's okay. We're going home as soon as they're done," Dewey assured, watching the battle.

It seems that there was only one shadow beast left. It looked more ferocious than the others did. Donald jumped forward to attack it, but it was faster. The beast swung its large arm at him, knocking him back with a lot of force, sending him flying towards a wall.

"Ack!" he quacked as he hit the wall with a loud thud. He fell back down on the floor, a dizzy feeling messing with his senses.

Webby gasped, realizing how strong the last beast was. Immediately, she reached into her vest and pulled out the dagger that she brought, just in case.

"Eat this!" she cried as she ran at the monster. It tried swinging its arm at her too, but her reflexes were quicker. She quickly dodged and jumped, raising the dagger over her head. Webby let out a loud battle cry as she landed on the beast and stabbed its shadowy form.

The beast let out a cry of pain and grabbed Webby before she could dodge. It threw her, sending her flying at the wall. She collided with the wall with a loud thud, making the triplets wince.

Scrooge, alarmed, looked at the beast. It seems like it was already halfway dead due to Webby's attack. Perfect.

Scrooge ran over and picked up the dagger that Webby had dropped. He charged forward and searched for any weak spots. When he confirmed that there were no noticeable weak spots, Scrooge opted for stabbing the beast in its silhouetted face. He quickly stabbed the dagger into the monster's face and jumped off before the monster could swing at him.

The beast let out a shriek of pain. It fell to the ground, disappearing back into darkness. There were none left.

"No…" Magica's voice said, shaken. "No..! NO!"

Magica's plan had fallen apart, it had seemed. Scrooge smirked, feeling victorious once again. Magica's cries of defeat echoed throughout the warehouse.

"NO! CURSE YOU, MCDUCK..! I WILL GET THAT DIME ONE DAY! JUST YOU WAIT AND SEE..!" she bellowed as loudly as she could before her voice had faded into silence, signaling her defeat.

She was gone.

Scrooge adjusted his hat and looked back at the other ducks, glad that this whole situation was done and dealt with.

"Everyone okay?"

Each duck nodded. Donald and Webby had a few injuries on them, but otherwise, they looked fine. Huey, Dewey and even Louie looked uninjured as well. Good.

"Alright, let's head back to the mansion, eh?" Scrooge offered.

"Yeah, let's get Louie back home," Donald agreed, looking at Louie, who still looked shaken. Louie nodded.

"Yeah…I wanna go home…"

Scrooge started walking towards the exit of the warehouse, leading the pack. Donald, Huey, Dewey, and Webby followed after him. Louie stood where he was and looked back at the empty chair which he sat in before.

…

The plan worked. They fell for it…even with Magica's exaggerated acting.

Sure enough, he heard Magica's voice in his head, cackling evilly.

 _"Yes…they fell right into our trap. As long as you play the part, I will have the dime once and for all…keep up the act."_

The hint of red in Louie's eyes flashed for a split second as he mentally replied. _"Understood."_

"Louie?"

Louie snapped out of his thoughts and saw Webby waiting for him, clueless. "Come on! Let's get back home. This place is giving me bad vibes."

"R-Right," Louie stuttered, putting on his façade again. Webby reached out and took his hand, leading him away from the chair and towards the exit.

"Geez…I'm glad this is all over," she said, relieved that Louie was safe with them. Louie was silent. "I was really worried for a bit, haha!"

Louie didn't say anything to that. Webby wasn't looking at him, so he took the opportunity to stare at her, trying to figure out if she would be a threat to the plan or not. Hm. No, probably not. Sure, she was skilled and strong, however...

Webby was naive if anything. She hadn't even noticed anything out of the ordinary yet. She thought this was over. She had no idea.

* * *

 **WHOO! It's been a while, hasn't it? I'm sorry, school is just really dragging me down ;w;**

 **So. This chapter was something. Sorry, it's not as long as the last chapter. I'm hoping the next chapters are much longer, haha. But anyway, looks like Scrooge and the others have finally "saved" Louie. "Saved". Unfortunately, the damage has already been done. Louie's already under Magica's influence, but nobody has realized yet.**

 **Louie's quite a good actor, isn't he? It makes sense, considering how he's a good liar. Magica's just...so extra pfft. Regardless, nobody's noticed anything out of the ordinary.**

 **Don't worry, later chapters will be much more interesting than this one was, haha. I kinda rushed to get this done and over with so that you guys could have another chapter. Until then...**

 **Bye!**


	8. I'm Not Him

Louie silently looked across the room at Webby. She was currently sitting on a chair, getting her wounds from the fight treated by her grandmother. He watched as she winced in pain from the disinfectant being sprayed on her wound. Magica had certainly put up a fight – which at least made it all the more convincing. No one suspected anything.

Louie looked around the room. He saw Donald sitting down, all bandaged up as well. He was currently talking to Scrooge about something, but Louie couldn't hear what. Huey was currently ranting about something to him, so Louie couldn't even try to hear what Scrooge and Donald were saying.

Honestly, the ranting had grown annoying very quickly, but he couldn't snap at Huey or else he'd blow his cover, so he just sat there, listening.

"We were worried sick about you..! Thank goodness you're safe now, but I can't believe you actually got kidnapped-!" The red triplet fussed. It took Louie a lot of effort not to roll his eyes.

"I'm sorry…going out by myself so early in the morning without asking first was a bad idea, I get it…" he replied, looking down. He made sure to put on a pitiful and defeated face.

"It's alright, it's not your fault," Huey said, putting his hands on Louie's shoulders in a comforting manner. His rant had completely stopped, probably because he didn't want Louie to feel worse.

"So…" Dewey had spoken up. Louie almost forgot he was there. "...What happened?"

"What?"

"What happened after you left the mansion this morning?" the blue triplet had clarified. Ah. He wanted to know how Louie got kidnapped in the first place - as if he cared.

"Well…I was on my way to the diner…" Louie explained, looking down. He kept his tone quiet with a tinge of vulnerability. "And then all of a sudden, someone dragged me down an alley and knocked me unconscious…then I woke up tied up in the warehouse."

"And did Magica hurt you at all?" Huey asked, worriedly. Louie was getting really tired of his fussing. He couldn't help but roll his eyes, frowning.

"No, I told you earlier."

"Good, good. Thank goodness we got there before it was too late," Huey said, relieved. Louie didn't know what to say to that, really.

They WERE too late.

He decided it was best if he didn't reply. Plus, Louie had already gotten bored of this conversation. It wasn't long before his attention slipped away from Huey and Dewey. Instead, it was directed towards Webby, who seemed to be staring at him for some reason…

He saw her hop up from her chair and start approaching him. Judging by the look on her face, she probably wanted to talk alone.

About what, he didn't know.

"Guys, could you give us a minute..?" Louie asked the other two triplets. Huey and Dewey looked at each other, confused, but agreed without question. They left as soon as Webby arrived.

Louie didn't say anything as he sat down on the floor, silently gesturing for her to sit down next to him. She obliged, taking a seat next to him, her hands in her lap. She seemed to want to say something, but instead, they sat in silence before she finally spoke up.

"…Are you okay…?" she asked, looking at him, apprehensively.

"Yup…" Louie answered, quietly. It was more or less a lie because honestly, he felt emotionally numb. To a degree, at least.

He looked down at the floor, unable to look her in the eye. He saw her play with the ends of her hair in his peripheral vision. It seemed to be something she did when she got awkward and fidgety.

"Are you sure..?"

"I'm fine, it's just…" Louie replied, a certain thought lingering in his mind. "…You all sure took your time getting there. Ten hours. I was there for ten hours."

Louie actually couldn't care less about it. They didn't care enough to immediately look for him. He already understands that. Though, Louie didn't know why he kept on trying to make them feel guilty, but there was some satisfaction he got from it. Why should he feel bad about it? They _should_ feel guilty-

 _'_ _ **That's not true..!**_ _'_

…

What was that..? That certainly wasn't Magica's voice he heard…

"W-We didn't mean to leave you there for so long..!" Webby spoke up, snapping him out of his thoughts. She sounded panicked and also defensive, even if that wasn't the impression she was trying to give. "I'm sorry, it's just...we were looking for you the whole time, I swear…"

Louie didn't believe her lie. No matter how genuine she sounded, he knew the truth already.

"We were going all around Duckburg looking for you..!" Webby continued, sounding afraid that he didn't believe her. Appropriate reaction, considering that he really didn't believe her at all.

It didn't matter to him much anyway. He had no time to be upset about these people. Right now, he should just focus on his task. The dime was all that mattered to him right now.

However, since Louie didn't seem to be responding, Webby took it upon herself to bring him into a tight hug, taking him by surprise.

"..!"

"Look, I know I shouldn't be making excuses. We're so, so sorry that you had to go through that..!" she said, holding him tighter. "It won't happen again, I promise..! We'll try to make sure it doesn't-!

Louie's mind had broken away from the task for a split second. Instead, he just stared ahead as she hugged him, unsure of how to properly respond. What was she doing? Was she _hoping_ that he would believe her if she hugged him or-?

' _Louie! Enough distractions_!' Magica's voice rang in his head, interrupting his thoughts. He had forgotten that she was seeing what he was seeing. ' _Get on with getting the dime!_ '

' _Just wait, Magica,_ ' he had mentally responded, slightly irritated that she had interrupted his train of thought. Having her voice in his head was going to grow tiresome, he could tell. However, she was right. He had no time to think about whatever Webby was doing...

"Webby, it's okay..!" he pretended to assure her. Webby pulled away from Louie, looking at him worriedly.

"…Are you sure..?" she asked, still looking unsure.

"Yeah, don't worry…it's fine, I promise," Louie lied, putting his hands on her shoulders. Webby smiled in relief, glad that he wasn't upset with them. The truth was, what happened already happened. There was no changing it. There was no changing his slight grudge against them, either.

But he always was good at lying.

"Oh, good..!" she sighed in relief. Wow. She really believed that. Webby really was gullible, wasn't she? Oh well. Makes things easier for him.

Louie then stood up, putting his hands in his pockets. Now that he got that out of the way, he really should focus on getting the dime. Otherwise, Magica will keep nagging him about it. He really didn't have time for this anymore.

Webby stood up as well and before she could say anything, Louie interrupted her. "I think I'm gonna go now, okay? I'm…kinda tired."

"Huh? Oh," Webby responded, seeming surprised that the conversation was ending so quickly. Perhaps she was still afraid that he was secretly upset at her or something like that. "O-Okay."

Her reaction seemed somewhat amusing to him. Louie snickered, carelessly letting his façade drop for a few seconds.

"Don't sound so disappointed," he slyly teased, before immediately leaving the room. He didn't bother to wait for her reaction, but he was almost sure he saw her expression become taken aback and also greatly confused at the same time. Heh.

However, as he exited the room, his thoughts were immediately interrupted as he spared a quick glance at Scrooge. He was currently talking to Donald about something that Louie couldn't hear. Scrooge had a small grin on his face as he talked. He looked utterly clueless and carefree. That look alone was enough to prove that he had no idea about what happened to Louie.

From what Louie knew, the dime was with that old man. There was no way he could get it now. He just has to wait and think of a plan.

The sooner he gets the dime to Magica, the better.

Louie didn't say anything to anyone else as he left and started walking down the halls. He was done talking to them. Putting on an act was much too tiring.

He walked down the halls, silently thinking. The fact that he needed to act normal was sort of strange. In a sense, he wasn't acting "normal", he was just acting like the "old Louie". Because he definitely wasn't the same person he was before. It's like the Louie from before is a completely different person, even though he still had the same memories. It was a weird situation, definitely. However, he did not question it.

He was different. That's all he knew. He and the old Louie are not the same duck. That was all he knew.

As Louie finally got to the room, he started thinking. He didn't have any reason to get this dime for Magica – other than the fact that he had the urge to follow her every command. He's not stupid, he knows why this is. Obviously, it's because of Magica's curse. But he felt no need to rebel against it in any way. Besides, he'd like to see where this goes.

Also, it would be a lie if he said that he _didn't_ think that they deserved it. They all pointed out his flaws while putting themselves up on a pedestal. Well, guess what? He's wearing his flaws on his sleeve now. What they thought were flaws might be strengths for him. Strengths that could be used against them, that is.

' ** _None of this is their fault..!'_**

There was that voice in his head again. What _was_ that? It definitely wasn't Magica's voice. It seemed to be contradicting his thoughts and it seemed to be defending the others. Why..? Who's saying that..?

Louie sat down on his bed, silently sighing. Enough. He's thinking too much about useless things. He should just focus on a plan for now.

...

The dime. Scrooge's number one dime, the thing that Magica so desperately wanted. From what Louie knows, Scrooge has it on him all the time. He saw it when they rescued him too- when Scrooge showed it off to Magica. There's not a moment when Scrooge is away from his dime, as far as Louie knew.

But there had to be a window of opportunity somewhere…

There was no way Scrooge wore that 24/7. There has to be a time when he took the dime off. Louie could never try to steal it directly off of him – Scrooge is too smart and skilled for that. He had to wait for the right opportunity.

However, the fact that Scrooge was not an easy target was frustrating. He could care less about the others, though. They didn't seem to be much of a threat to the plan. Scrooge was the only one he was worried about, but even that old duck had weaknesses.

He was vulnerable. Louie just didn't know where the vulnerability in Scrooge was. He just knows it's there somewhere. The only thing he knew was that Scrooge had no idea the Louie wasn't exactly himself anymore. He was always slightly distant from the green triplet, which is a good thing now. He has no clue that Louie's different now.

Hm.

"Louie? Are you in there?"

Louie looked up as he heard the bedroom door open slightly. Donald was at the door, looking through the small gap. What did he want?

"Yeah?" Louie replied, making sure to put on his façade once again.

Donald quietly walked in and closed the door behind him. Louie avoided eye contact as Donald sat down next to him on the bed. Louie was silent, waiting for the older duck to say something. Donald looked down at him, frowning slightly.

"How are you feeling, Louie?" he asked. Louie sighed, tired. Looks like he has to keep up the act just for a little longer.

"I'm fine."

"And you're sure about that..?" Donald replied, sounding unsure.

"Mhm," Louie nodded, keeping his responses good and short. Perhaps Donald will go away faster if Louie subtly rushed the conversation. He needs to get back to thinking of a plan- he can't afford more distractions. "I'm okay, I promise."

"I'm sorry that you had to go through that. You shouldn't be affected by Scrooge's enemies just because you're his nephew. None of you boys deserve that. The last thing I wanted was for his life to endanger yours," Donald said, putting his hand on Louie's shoulder. He sighed. "If only it were easier to prevent that."

"…"

"I can't really stop Scrooge's life of adventure from affecting your own lives. Especially when you all want that life of adventure as well…" Donald continued, looking down. He was done with adventures. He fully well knew how dangerous they were and he didn't want the boys to get caught in the danger. "We can try making it less risky for you, though. Would that be okay?"

"Make it less risky?" Louie responded, slightly confused. What was he going on about? "Like how?"

"Well…for now, I don't want you going outside by yourself. Especially not when it's too early or too late in the day. We don't want a repeat of what happened..!" Donald said, trying to make his quacky voice sound more authoritative. "Just make sure you're with one of us when you go out. If you don't, we'll get concerned again."

Louie was silent. He had no opinion on this. Donald was just being overprotective, though the damage has already been done. Though, this could be a bit of a problem. If he has to be chaperoned every time he goes outside, it closes some opportunities to get the dime. Not to mention, this means he'll rarely get to leave the house without someone else keeping an eye on him. The fact that they were distant from him was what helped keep his cover intact.

If anyone got too close to him, they might realize something is off. Donald and Webby have already gotten close calls. Louie's been able to act normal around them, but he knows that he can't keep it up forever, especially if they keep having personal conversations with him. And Huey and Dewey are likely to notice that their brother is acting differently too.

He just has to pray that they don't care enough about him to notice.

...

Never mind, it doesn't matter. There's nothing he could do about it. Besides, it's not like he had any plans that involved being outside. He should be able to steal the dime in the mansion easily.

"Okay…that sounds good, actually…" Louie said, nodding. Donald smiled, glad that Louie didn't object.

"Good. Sorry, Louie. It's just for your safety," Donald had said, gently bringing Louie into a hug. Geez, what was with these people and their hugs?

Even so, Louie hugged back, trying to keep the act up. "Yeah, I know. Thanks, Uncle Donald…"

After a while, Donald pulled away and stood up from the bed. Louie's dark eyes followed him as he made his way to the bedroom door. "Well, I should probably leave you alone now. You should get some rest, Louie. You've had a long day…"

"Okay, I will…"

And with that, Donald left the room, closing the door behind him. Louie felt somewhat relieved that he didn't have to keep talking. It was tiring to be blunt. Perhaps he _should_ rest for now. Trying to act "normal" has worn him out. And trying to talk to everyone here was just plain agitating.

As Louie slowly lied down on the bed, he heard Magica's voice shout in his head once again. ' _Now is not the time for resting..! Get the dime, Louie_!'

' _I will_ ,' he responded, slightly irked. He doesn't know if he can handle having her nagging voice in his head this entire time. Perhaps that's all the more reason to get the dime for her. He'll think of a way to get the dime off of Scrooge later, but for now, he just wants to lie down and rest…

...Rest…

…

That's it..!

* * *

 **Sorry, sorry, I know..! It's been a while. I actually had to rewrite this chapter a few times because I wasn't satisfied with it, aha. Writing in "Evil" Louie's point of view was tougher than I thought..! I wasn't sure how to write his thoughts, because I'm not really used to writing these kinds of characters, haha. Well, in any case, I hope you still liked this chapter!**

 **I think I'll make the next chapter in Webby's point of view, just to give a different perspective on the situation~!**

 **Until next time! Bye!**


	9. Suspicion and Manipulation

"Don't sound so disappointed."

Webby didn't have time to process what Louie said before he winked at her and left. She stared as he left the room, slightly taken aback. Everyone else in the room was talking to each other, but Webby couldn't focus on anyone at the moment. She just stared blankly ahead.

What? What was that? What just _happened_?

Webby wasn't sure why, but something was definitely off with Louie in that one moment. She was really observant, so she could tell. First of all, his attitude just…changed really fast. Like, before he was feeling kind of down and upset because of the incident- which is perfectly understandable. However, his demeanor completely changed when he…he what? Flirted?

Webby doesn't actually know enough about that kind of stuff to tell if that was flirting, but it seemed like that's what it was. At least, when she's seen other people flirt it looked like that. And that was another thing that caught her off guard. It's not that it was uncharacteristic for Louie to do that. It was just uncharacteristic for him to do that to _Webby_.

It was just weird.

And then…there was just a look in his eye that was different. It was actually the first time Louie looked her in the eye ever since the Magica incident. It was very brief and very quick, but she's sure that she saw something different about Louie's eyes- but she wasn't sure what. All she knew is…

It wasn't normal…

…Maybe she's reading too much into it. Maybe she was just imagining things. Still, she couldn't shake the feeling that something was different about Louie.

"Webby, you good?" Dewey's confused voice brought Webby back to reality. He waved his hand in front of her face, concerned.

"U-Uh…" Webby stuttered, her mind refocusing on the present. She looked at Dewey, silently trying to decide whether or not she should explain it to him.

 _How_ would she explain it to him?

"Um…I'm fine- it's fine," Webby lied, poorly, shaking her head. She wasn't going to say that she was suspicious about Louie yet, especially since she had little to no reason to be. Besides, Webby tended to make conspiracies out of little things, so…

She needed to make sure she wasn't reading too much into it.

Dewey was looking at Webby as if he didn't believe her. He raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure? You're acting funny."

"Wh-? Me? Acting funny? No…" Webby stuttered, nervously smiling as if she were guilty of something. "I-I'm good, I promise."

"Riiight," Dewey said slowly, still not quite buying it. He then changed the subject, clearly seeing that Webby was uncomfortable. "So, uh, where'd Louie go? You were talking to him, right?"

"Uh…he said he was tired and went to his room, I think..?" Webby answered, shrugging. She still wasn't sure if she had said anything to upset him to make him leave…

She then saw Huey approach them, joining their conversation. "Yeah, I just heard Uncle Donald say that he was going to check on Louie. I hope he's okay…that whole incident must have been terrible for him."

"Yeah...but did you see the look on Magica's face when we defeated her shadow monsters?!" Dewey said, excitedly with a proud grin. "She didn't even see us coming!"

"What? No- she DID see us coming," Huey corrected. "She sent a hostage letter and everything, how would she have not expected us?"

"Whatever, you know what I mean..!"

"Clearly, I don't."

Webby tuned out Huey and Dewey's conversation. She doesn't think they really understand how Louie felt about the whole thing. From what he told her, Louie was still upset at how long it took for them to even find him. He seemed to be under the misconception that they didn't even care.

And even though Webby tried to tell him differently, maybe he still believed it?

Webby looked at Huey and Dewey again. Their conversation had completely strayed away from Louie's situation. Now they were just bickering about something completely off topic. Well, whatever they were talking about, it wasn't about their brother.

"I'm gonna go check on Louie and make sure he's okay," she interrupted, walking out of the room. She needed to make sure he was actually alright. If something was off about Louie, then she needed proof.

Without saying another word, Webby left the room, stepping into the halls. She made her way over to the triplets' bedroom, thoughts swarming her mind.

Is Louie okay? Usually, something like this wouldn't really affect him, but just recently he was feeling "emotionally not okay" if that makes sense. Then the whole Magica thing had to happen, so no wonder he's not feeling okay. But it's not just that, she really thinks there's something different about him now.

She doesn't have proof though, just a feeling. That's not nearly enough.

Webby continued down the hall. However, as she did, she saw Donald walking in her direction, away from the bedroom.

"Oh-! Donald, have you seen Louie..?" Webby blurted out when he walked by her. Donald stopped in his tracks and looked down at her.

"Yeah, I just went to check on him. He's taking a rest now," he quacked. "…I think."

"Ah, okay. Thanks..!" Webby said, continuing along in her path. If Louie was sleeping right now, then she didn't want to disturb him…but she'll check on him just in case.

Webby turned the corner and saw the door of the bedroom. However, just as she was about to approach it, the door suddenly swung open. Out of reflex, Webby immediately hid behind the corner, peeking around it to see who had opened the door.

It was Louie. Webby watched as he looked around and silently closed the door behind him after exiting the room. Okay…so he _wasn't_ sleeping. He lied.

She shouldn't be so surprised.

Instead of going to check on him like she planned, Webby stayed behind the corner, trying to see if there WAS anything different about his behavior. If she could find anything suspicious without confronting him, then she could be sure whether or not something was wrong.

Webby watched as Louie took a few steps forward before pausing abruptly. He raised his head and looked around, his eyes darting all over the place suspiciously. Webby hid behind the corner again, hoping that whatever he was looking for, it wasn't her.

"I know you're there."

"..!"

After a few seconds of hesitation, Webby stepped out from her hiding place with her hands behind her back.

"Heyyyy…" Webby greeted awkwardly. She smiled sheepishly. "I was just…coming to check on you."

Louie raised an eyebrow, looking unamused. "It seemed like you were hiding."

"Oh, uh-"

"Why?"

Webby looked away, trying to think of an excuse. Honestly, she doesn't know why she was hiding. It's not like she was spying or anything... she was just going to observe him while staying out of sight. That's not spying.

"I just got startled and hid when the door opened," Webby said. It wasn't really a lie, anyway. "Anyway, I just wanted to make sure you were doing okay…"

"I already said I was fine," Louie replied bluntly. "You don't need to keep checking on me."

Webby took note of Louie's tone of voice. He didn't sound annoyed, per say, but he didn't sound assuring either. He sounded very monotone, which differed from his attitude from earlier. This further raised Webby's suspicion.

"…Okay. If you say so…" she said slowly, not completely believing him. "So…what are you doing? Your uncle said you were supposed to be resting."

"Well, I realized that I had things to do," Louie said, still monotone. He began walking away from Webby, seemingly focused on whatever task he was doing.

Webby wasn't prepared for him to leave so suddenly. "Wait-! What things?"

"Why do you need to know?" Louie asked, not looking back at her. Webby frowned and followed him, determined to get an answer.

"I'm just curious, that's all..!"

"That's not a reason, Webby."

"I just wanna know what you're doing!"

"What I'm doing is none of your business," Louie said, sternly. His tone was cold and blunt, his language sounded less casual than it usually did. "Just leave me alone."

Webby stopped following him, slightly hurt about how cold he sounded. She has no idea why he would talk to her like that…unless he was upset. "Are you mad at me..?"

Louie stopped in his tracks too. He brought a hand to his face and sighed deeply. Webby couldn't tell if he was annoyed or not. She grew anxious every second he stayed silent, wondering what she did wrong.

He was silent for a few seconds as if he were thinking. Webby just didn't know what he was taking so long to think about.

"…I might be mad at you, sure," he said after a while. He then looked back at her. "…but if you do this one favor for me, I won't be."

"Favor..?" Webby asked, confused. She was hurt after hearing he was indeed mad at her, but she still couldn't help but be suspicious. "What is it?"

"I need you to…go out and buy me some food."

…

"Wait, what?" Webby asked, slightly surprised. She doesn't know what she was expecting, but she was still surprised. "That's all?"

"Yep. You'd do that for me, right?" Louie asked, his expression immediately switching from looking cold to looking pitiful and fragile within a matter of seconds. "I haven't eaten all day because of Magica. And I'm too scared to go outside so…is it okay if you do it for me..?"

His whole demeanor had changed completely. He now looked small and pitiful, making Webby immediately feel bad for being so suspicious.

"I, uh…"

"I mean, you don't have to if you don't want to. I just thought I'd ask someone and I figured you'd care enough to do it…" Louie continued talking, looking down. "…But if you don't want to-"

"No, no, no-!" Webby quickly replied, feeling guilty for not answering quicker. "Of course, I'll do it..! I mean, you're probably starving, right?"

Louie put his hand to his stomach and frowned sheepishly, looking away. "Yeah."

"Okay, okay, I'll be back soon. I'll just go to the diner really quick and get you something, okay?" Webby said, slightly panicked for some reason. She just really didn't like seeing him sad. "Just please don't be upset..!"

A small smile appeared on Louie's face. "Thanks. You're the best, Webbs."

' _You're the best, Webbs_.'

That was the same thing he said when they were having milkshakes the other day. For some reason, it seemed to ease Webby's concerns a little bit. Still, she doesn't know how or why she suddenly felt really guilty about being suspicious in the first place, but it didn't matter.

"I'll be back soon..!" she said once again. Webby wasted no time in running out of the hall, determined to get Louie's request done quickly.

As Webby ran through the halls, into the foyer, and out the front doors, it suddenly occurred to her. She doesn't know what just happened. Her objective had somehow gotten from wanting to observe Louie's strange behavior, to wanting to buy him food to make him happy.

How did that happen so quickly?

 _"_ _I'll be back soon..!"_

 _Louie watched Webby quickly ran down the hall after he made his request for food. After she was gone and out of sight, Louie's soft expression went back to being cold and stoic, as if he simply switched his emotions on and off._

 _Getting rid of her took way too long, but she was still manipulated easily. Now, with her out of the way, he can finally get back to his task. He better hurry up before Webby shows up again, though. Her concern for him is getting in the way of his plan, though, he could've sworn that she seemed wary of him as well._

 _That was not a good sign._

 _He needed to do a better job of putting up his façade in front of her, otherwise, she might catch on soon. However, that didn't matter now. As long as he can keep her distracted, then it should be fine. All of the others don't seem to care much about whatever Louie was doing, so this should be easy._

 _…_ _This_ _ **will**_ _be easy._

* * *

 **Heeeere it is, finally. Sorry, it's kind of a short chapter. I've tried to stop procrastinating my work just to write fanfictions, so the chapters will take a while to come out ;w;**

 **This chapter is actually more Webby-centric, just to show her point of view. It was also just to show Evil!Louie's demeanor from an outsider's perspective. The next chapter will be in Louie's perspective again and the plot will hopefully move along faster. Thanks for reading up to this point, though! I really appreciate it!**

 **Until next time, bye!**


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